The Conversation

It's time to rethink the disrupted US food system from the ground up

Written by David R. Montgomery, Professor of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington

Corn stover (stalks, leaves and cobs) left behind after harvesting becomes a mulch and cover crop for soybeans on a Tennessee farm.Lance Cheung, USDA

The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic shutdowns have severely disrupted and spotlighted weaknesses in the U.S. food system. Farmers, food distributors and government agencies are working to reco...

Rain plays a surprising role in making some restored prairies healthier than others

Written by Lars Brudvig, Associate Professor of Plant Biology, Michigan State University

A restored prairie in southern Michigan.Lars Brudvig

Prairies once covered an enormous area of North America, but today have been reduced to a small fraction of this historical range. Imagine an area the size of Texas, the second largest state, shrinking over the course of decades to an area the size of Massachusetts, the sixth smallest state.

Prair...

A new hybrid fungus is found in hospitals and linked to lung disease

Written by Jacob L. Steenwyk, Graduate Student of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University

Theseus fighting against the minotaur, a hybrid of man and bull.clu / Getty Images

From the mythical minotaur to the mule, creatures created from merging two or more distinct organisms – hybrids – have played defining roles in human history and culture. However, not all hybrids are as fantastic as the minotaur or as dependable as the...

What is tear gas?

Written by Janice Chambers, Professor, College of Veterinary Medicine; Director, Center for Environmental Health Sciences, Mississippi State University

Police officers wearing riot gear push back demonstrators shooting tear gas next to St. John's Episcopal Church outside of the White House, June 1, 2020 in Washington D.C., during a protest over the death of George Floyd.JOSE LUIS MAGANA/AFP via Getty Images

In the past week, there have been reports of tear gas being used to control crowds protesting...

Compare the flu pandemic of 1918 and COVID-19 with caution – the past is not a prediction

Written by Mari Webel, Assistant Professor of History, University of Pittsburgh

A pandemic from a century ago doesn't necessarily chart the course of the pandemic happening now.National Photo Company Collection/Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division/Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, CC BY

People have turned to historical experience with influenza pandemics to try to make sense of COVID-19, and...

A Lyme disease vaccine doesn't exist, but a yearly antibody shot shows promise at preventing infection

Written by Mark Klempner, Professor of Medicine and Executive Vice Chancellor for MassBiologics, University of Massachusetts Medical School

Ticks can carry bacteria that causes Lyme Disease.CDC via AP, CC BY

Lyme disease has become an insidious epidemic in the United States. Caused by bacteria transmitted by an infected tick bite, symptoms can include arthritis, cardiac and neurological problems if left untreated. It is the most common tick-borne illness in the United States, and the...

We may be safer now from coronavirus than we were three months ago, but we're not totally safe

Written by Ryan Malosh, Assistant Research Scientist, University of Michigan

A woman eats ice cream at Gantry Plaza State Park, Long Island City on May 30, 2020 in New York City. All 50 states have begun to reopen after weeks of stay-at-home measures.Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images

With social distancing guidelines and mandates mostly lifted, people have begun to head back to beaches, parks and restaurants in many parts of the...

A justification for unrest? Look no further than the Bible and the Founding Fathers

Written by Samira Mehta, Assistant Professor of Women and Gender Studies & Jewish Studies, University of Colorado Boulder

Protesters smash the window of a Chase bank during protests in OaklandAP Photo/Philip Pacheco

The civil unrest seen across the United States following the killing of George Floyd brings to the fore the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous observation that “a riot is the language of the unheard.”

Taken from his 1968 speech “The...

How to protest during a pandemic and still keep everyone safe from coronavirus: 6 questions answered

Written by Thomas A. Russo, Professor and Chief, Infectious Disease, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

The death of George Floyd when a police officer kneeled on his neck sparked days of protests in cities across the U.S. Lauren A. Little/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty

“WE ARE STILL IN A PANDEMIC,” Denver Black Lives Matter activist Tay Anderson shouted in capital letters on Twitter as he urged everyone who has protested police...

Why Hong Kong's untold history of protecting refugee rights matters now in its struggle with China

Written by Jana Lipman, Associate Professor of History, Tulane University

Protesters in Hong Kong during demonstrations against China's draft bill to impose national security laws on the semi-autonomous territory. Ivan Abreu/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

New national security measures proposed by China would significantly undermine the rule of law in Hong Kong, limiting freedom of speech, restricting the right...